Misty unhelpfully reminds Ash that he only received his first two Badges out of pity, but Ash retorts that a Badge is a Badge. After a heated exchange with Misty on the subject, a bell chimes to signal that Ash’s Pokémon are fully recovered. However, upon seeing the injured Pokémon, Pikachu becomes frightened to take on Lt. Surge and flatly refuses to battle. Ash drags Pikachu with him to the Vermilion Gym anyway, and enters the Gym declaring his intention to win a Thunder Badge. Lt. Surge’s two subordinates in the Gym mock Pikachu, and the man himself is even crueler, christening Ash “baby” and Pikachu a “baby Pokémon”. Surge calls on his Raichu, a Pokémon that has a personality very like its Trainer’s. Despite Surge’s assertion that Ash should have evolved Pikachu already, Ash protests, claiming that there is more to a Pokémon battle than evolution.
(Source: Bulbapedia)
